Maximum Daily Dose Found No More Effective than Placebo

A new study published online this month in The Lancet calls into question the effectiveness of acetaminophen for treating acute low back pain. Additionally, the research found no effect from the medication in improving sleep woes tied to back pain, nor did it improve patients' overall quality of life.

“Our findings suggest that regular or as-needed dosing with paracetamol does not affect recovery time compared with placebo in low-back pain, and question the universal endorsement of paracetamol in this patient group”, the authors state in the journal abstract. But another expert, Dr. Houman Danesh, director of Integrative Pain Management and assistant professor of anesthesiology at The Mount Sinai Hospital in New York City, cautioned against changes in the clinical use of acetaminophen for low back pain until corroborating evidence is developed.

Read a news report about the findings here. The study abstract may be read here.